Now what’s a smart fellow like you doing listening to THAT show?
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Great observance.
Yes I confess I listened for a couple of minutes only. That was enough.
I was checking the RDS Clock Time on KIIS Sydney… a valid excuse today.
Though I could have muted the audio I suppose…
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In an ideal world, the Super Network would have four feeds.
Feed 1 - National/Sydney Talk. Based out of Sydney, primarily for 2SM, with select talk programming going on the AM stations.
Feed 2 (or 1B) - Queensland Talk. Based out of Toowoomba. Not a full-on 24/7 feed, just a select number of talk programs (say 2 or 3) that would air on 4WK, 4GY and Radio 97. Feed could also air the Rural Half-Hour.
Feed 3 - Easy Listening. Based out of Toowoomba. Airs full-time (excluding local breakfast slow) on 4AK, plus the stations in Orange, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie. Other AM stations (excluding 2SM and 2HD) to take during afternoons, late evenings and weekend nights.
Feed 4 - Hot AC. Based out of Sydney. Airs full-time (excluding local breakfast and drive) across the FM stations, including New FM.
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I’d add in a 5th feed… ‘Classic Hits’… Best of 70s to 00s to cover the music not covered by the Hot AC stations…
Would be for the regional stations including 2HD so that they could swap out a talk shift for a music shift to suit local tastes…
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I’d wonder if there will be a rethink of the FM converted stations like 2BS, 2MG, etc.
Or perhaps even stations where they have a prominent FM infill that covers the main population area - I dunno the coverage characteristics of something like 93.5 Port Macquarie or Radio 97’s FM104.1 repeater, whether you could do an FM focused AC format to become competitive.
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I think, in regional markets where SRN only have an AM station (like Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Orange), when they get the opportunity to convert to a full FM licence with the same specs as Hit/MMM, that’s when SRN will flip those to the FM network feed.
This is perfect. I love the easy listening stream, as I think this’d perform better on the AM stations than a Classic Hits format - especially as it’ll offer a point of difference up against markets with Zinc Classic Hits and a bit of Triple M.
The QLD offering would be a good idea too. Maybe this could be better based out of Radio97 (as it’s also the HQ) rather than Toowoomba.
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Are the FM relays like for 2MW and 4GY able to broadcast anything different from the main transmitter? And even though they have a stereo pilot do they have a stereo feed?
No, my understanding is that they have to broadcast the same format/program.
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It’s better that the stations be local wherever possible during the day so they can change the format on a per market basis rather than have different network feeds as most of the stations in the multi station markets can justify being local 6am to 6pm other than 9am to 12pm on the AM. Maybe have the option to opt out of that in favour of local content could be an option? After 6pm it doesn’t really matter even though sometimes a station playing automated music is better than the Super Radio Network’s talk network format.
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Automated music with an hourly news bulletin would be brilliant for an evening. Similar to what ACE metros do.
Mind you, the regional travellers at night may prefer some interesting talkback.
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I think a voice tracked program until around 10pm could work on the FMs
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An opinion piece by Jen Syderhelm from Radioinfo:
Exploring fortress 2SM – The future’s bright for Despina Priala and George Caralis
Some interesting points from the article:
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Details about the local breakfast & morning programs on 2SM is set to be revealed by the end of the year.
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Local breakfast shows for its Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour & Orange stations.
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Significant changes for Radio 97 on the Gold Coast is being hinted at.
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This probably won’t be a popular suggestion around here, but if I owned Super Radio Network I’d be ditching the music format and doing a deal with SEN to extend their programming onto those stations + local sport-themed breakfast show + live coverage of local sports.
The talk stations would retain news/talk programming although I’d certainly work on improving the quality of the talk shows. Local breakfast in all markets. Drive would be local in many markets but may be shared between two or three adjacent markets if a decent local show isn’t sustainable. Preferably weekend mornings would be live and local for the most part too.
If enough effort was put into talent development at the local level, a lot of those local hosts could make up a fill-in talent pool for the network shows and possibly provide career pathways within the network. Likewise with the local sport hosts and commentators…it might be a bit harder to provide them with network opportunities at first but if the effort in talent development was good and a good enough business relationship was built with SEN then pathways would develop. Local talent development is, in my view, a key pillar of any long term revitalisation of the Super Radio Network.
On winter weekends I’d have the sport station’s primary coverage be of local sports, while the news/talk station takes the primary match of whichever sports code is dominant in that market (which may mean picking up affiliation with Nine or Triple M to supplement SEN’s minimal NRL coverage in NRL towns). When the sport station isn’t busy with local sport, it could run whatever SEN sport coverage isn’t being picked up by the news/talk station (ie. it might be the other AFL game in the timeslot, or that 9:30pm EPL match which SEN shoves on DAB in the metros, for example).
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So in a small market with only 2 stations you’d want one a talk station and the other a sports station?
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You’re right, not popular! 
I’d be going the other way, give the heritage stations the option to run more local music shifts, or take a network one, instead of it being all talk.
FM stations could then go more Hot AC/CHR.
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Yep. Suffice to say that from a listening perspective I’m not a big fan of music radio, although I have no problem with talk stations having one or two specialty music shows per week. From a radio business perspective I think music radio is done. Once the current big names retire and a generational change of listeners occurs, I doubt much music radio outside of niche automated jukeboxes on DAB will survive, and even they may just be to simplify distribution to stores and gyms…there’s too many other ways to better tailor music to the listener’s tastes.
Talk formats are in a better position to survive, especially if live and interactive. But that’s just my viewpoint, and a biased one at that. I suppose my real point is that if I owned a radio network, I’d want to run formats that I understand and believe in.
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They’ve cancelled out Erin Molan - and I doubt Melissa Doyle will leave smooth.
I’m hoping BOG sees Jason Morrison 9am-12pm in 2025, and potentially Deb Knight in afternoons. I’d likely say they’ll keep Talkin’ Sport - but I would like to see it shortened to a 2hr evenings spot, rather than dominate the drivetime slot.
I do also hope their websites get a solid overhaul, network-wide. And (as I’ve continuously said, let Newcastle cater for Newcastle and let the network HQ take care of the network feed.
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I’d agree with that, & reading the Radioinfo article it suggests 2HD breakfast will go back to Newcastle local only, which will be great, hopefully the only networked show on 2HD will be mornings (maybe), they have plenty of local staff do fill the day/night & they keep saying they’re the only network who didn’t let any staff go during or after COVID, so I doubt there will be mass sackings in Newcastle.
Also let NEW FM focus on Newcastle & really take on SCA.
If there’s supposedly big changes to Radio 97 coming & that’s where management are, you might find it becomes Network hub again?
Despite being the network naming & supposed flagship station, 2SM has never really been the network hub, except for Network uplinks, & a few shows of a day/night. Back in the early days, Lismore was the network hub & Satellite uplink station, Sat uplink moved to 2SM & Radio 97 became the program hub for a lot of shows for the AM stations, Newcastle has always been the FM network hub as far as I remember, & as people started leaving or shows got cancelled, Newcastle took over AM network shows with just a few coming out of 2SM.
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With word of changes at Radio97, I am predicting three possible events:
- Radio97 will become the regional network HQ/hub with content coming from Radio97 and being broadcast across the regional AM network.
- Radio97 will introduce & focus more on a music-based format, targeting 55+ audience.
- Radio97 will become the QLD network hub (similar to another MediaSpy member’s suggestion above), providing SE QLD content for the network, leaving 2SM to take care of NSW.
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